ERIC Number: EJ1446290
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0161-1461
EISSN: EISSN-1558-9129
Recognizing and Resisting Ableist Language in Schools: Suggestions for School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists and Related Professionals
Kristen Bottema-Beutel; Noah J. Sasson; Rachael McKinnon; Caroline Braun; Ruoxi Guo; Brittany N. Hand; Steven K. Kapp; Daniel R. Espinas; Aiyana Bailin; Jessica Nina Lester; Betty Yu
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, v55 n4 p1025-1038 2024
Purpose: The language that school professionals use to describe disabled students can reveal and perpetuate ableist assumptions. Professionals' language choices can also challenge ableist attitudes to help create more inclusive, equitable learning environments. This tutorial seeks to guide speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other school professionals to identify ableist language, understand the ableist ideologies that such language reveals, and develop strategies to implement ways of communicating with and about disabled students that align with an anti-ableist stance. We offer a brief description of ableism in schools, describe models of disability and their varying alignments toward ableist ideologies, and identify ways in which language can reflect and perpetuate ableism. Using Individualized Education Program goals as an example, we examine the ways in which ableist language can manifest in school practices. Finally, we provide suggestions to guide SLPs and other school professionals to examine and change their language to better align with an anti-ableist stance. Conclusions: School professionals' language use is not neutral and may reveal and maintain ableist assumptions about disability and disabled students. While dismantling ableism requires systemic change, we suggest that individual professionals can use language in ways that resist ableism and powerfully impact their students' educational experiences.
Descriptors: School Health Services, Speech Language Pathology, Allied Health Personnel, Disabilities, Language Usage, Labeling (of Persons), Social Bias, Ideology, Individualized Education Programs, Students with Disabilities, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Counselor Attitudes
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: lshss@asha.org; Web site: http://lshss.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A